World on Fire
by WestWingFeminista
Summary: Somebody once issued a challenge regarding Babbish’s interrogation of CJ, and the line “Gee Oliver, it’s almost hard to believe that four different women have sued you for divorce.”


Title: World on Fire

Pairing: CJ and Oliver Babbish

Rating: Let's go PG-13 for now

Spoilers: The Fall's Gonna Kill You

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I never have and I never will. Sigh. I only own all fictional characters, ie.. those you've never heard of before. Also I borrowed the title from a Sarah Mclaughlin Song.

Note: I will consider writing a sequel to this if anyone is interested. Let me know. If anyone wants to read any of my other stories, check out the CJ and Jed list. As always feedback is good!

Somebody once issued a challenge regarding Babbish's interrogation of CJ, and the line "Gee Oliver, it's almost hard to believe that four different women have sued you for divorce."

I'm re-issuing the challenge and taking a whack at it myself. I hope some of you out there will give it a try as well.

CJ leaned against a desk that awful morning at 5:30 am. She'd been up all night. She felt betrayed, confused, hurt and angry. Why had the president personally told everyone but her? Why had he sent Leo to do it? She had been told to report to the Counsel's office. As she sat waiting, she thought about what was to come and what could possibly happen to her, and to all of them. It was all too much and it was all too little. She just wanted to run and never stop. CJ forced herself to breathe and focus. The office form of temple breathing she told herself. She was almost calm when he appeared, asking her questions and condemning her with both his tone and his eyes. It wasn't her fault that she hadn't been told of the President's MS was it?

Oliver just kept at it and at it until she snapped. "Gee Oliver, it's almost hard to believe that four different women have sued you for divorce."

"Well you can do that CJ, but I have better things to do with my time."

God she hated him. "I don't know you." She said.

"Excuse me?"

"I was told to report to your office, but I don't know you."

"Oh but I think you do CJ." He grinned smugly. "Being as you were one of the four women who sued me for divorce."

"Yeah well, the other 3 wanted to marry you. If you'll recall I didn't."

She briefly flashed back to that day when her father came home and announced that he'd arranged an excellent business deal that would benefit the whole family for years to come. In addition to the large sums of money that Andre Babbish's chain of chic restaurants would be paying their vineyard to supply them with wine, CJ would marry his oldest son Oliver. She along with her mother and her brother's protested, saying it wasn't fair and using the first amendment, but James Cregg refused to listen. On August 31, 1985, 20 year old CJ, the youngest of the Creggs, married 26 year old Oliver Babbish. They lived in California, while both going to school, undergraduate and graduate for CJ and law school for Oliver. They'd each been warned by their father that this was a huge and important business deal, and that they had better live as a happily married couple. CJ tried to make the best of her situation. She'd been a virgin when she'd married Oliver. She didn't want to sleep with him. It didn't feel right, she didn't love him. But what was she to do? Halfway through her master's degree, she found out she was pregnant. Oliver had just gotten a job clerking for a justice on the California State Supreme Court, and they had moved to Sacramento. Her life wasn't going the way she wanted it to, but it wasn't unbearable. Both sets of parents had been visiting for a weekend, when CJ, only 4 months along in her pregnancy, went into labor. Oliver had been paged, but had never shown up. Both Marie Babbish and Anna Cregg stayed with CJ, while she lost her baby-her little boy. There was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it. Oliver staggered into the waiting room where James and Andre were waiting an hour later, clothes rumpled and undone, face and shirt covered in lipstick and perfume. His shirt tails caught in his pants zipper and a scantily clad girl on his arm. He had been too busy screwing another woman to come be with CJ. Fortunately for CJ, both James and Andre took their marriage vows very seriously and expected the same from their children. They kept their deal, while CJ sued Oliver for divorce, finished grad school and tried to heal. She hadn't seen Oliver since. Now, 15 years later, he was on her territory, working in her building.

"I'm curious to know Oliver." She said, snapping out of her musings. "Did the other 3 sue you for the same reason as I did?"

"I guess you'll never know."

"You know what" CJ said as she got up. "I'll work with Ainsley Hayes, but I will not work with you."

Once upstairs she grabbed her portfolio and headed over to the meeting in Leo's office. Margaret told her to go inside.

"CJ" Leo said in surprise. "I thought that you were meeting with Babbish."

"Well you thought wrong." She replied, her voice dripping icicles, causing the boys to look up in surprise and both Leo and the President, who had just entered, to stare at her. "I will talk to Ainsley Hayes, but I refuse to talk to my asshole of an ex-husband. If you don't like it fire me. I'm already in more shit than Toby, Sam and Josh will ever be in. I'm the one that has lied to America repeatedly, and I'm the one who will end up taking the fall. I don't need Oliver Babbish, reminding me of all my short comings. I need my head in this mess, not in the past. I don't need to remember how, I was forced to marry him and how he was to0 busy screwing another woman to come be with me, while I lost our baby." Tears were streaming down her face now. "You've taken so much from me" she said while she walked to the door. "And you've all given nothing in return." Just before she stepped out, she said "Leo, you should really be more discriminating when it comes to choosing the White House Counsel. Next time, make sure you pick a real lawyer."

She wiped her tears and walked back to her office, her head held high. It was the first time they had ever seen her cry and she wasn't proud of that, but she was proud, that for once, she had laid down the law. She made it to her office, before she collapsed onto her couch, smothering her sobs with a pillow.

She laid there for a couple of minutes, before getting up and re-doing her make up. Some feelings she realized would never go away. Her feelings of loss and betrayal both in the past and in the present would always remain with her and there was nothing she could do about it. Her world was on fire, and she could only hope it would be put out soon. She took a deep breath, and got back to work highlighting press releases, as Abbey Bartlet knocked on her door asking to talk.

World on Fire part 2

"How was your day?" Abbey asked CJ

"Well, I got pretty well bitch slapped by the White House Counsel, otherwise known as my ex-husband, ma'am how about you?"

"You were married to that?" Abbey asked incredulously.

'Yeah. I was part of a business deal my father made with his father."

"That's terrible! I had no idea. No wonder you're so passionate about women's rights."

"Yeah. Abbey?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did Leo tell me? Why couldn't the president tell me like he told everybody else?"

"He couldn't bear to see the disappointment and betrayal on your face. He thinks of you as a daughter CJ, and he didn't want to jeopardize that."

"But he did Abbey."

"I know sweetie, I know and I'm sorry. I wanted to be there when you were told."

CJ sighed and rolled her shoulders.

"Sit on the floor." Abbey commanded.

"What?"

"Sit on the floor."

CJ did as she was told, and was rewarded when Abbey's strong hands began to knead out the knots in her back, shoulders and neck. CJ moaned in appreciation and started to visibly relax. At least she was relaxing until Oliver walked into her office. Abbey could feel all of her muscles tense back up immediately.

"Well, now isn't this cozy." He sneered.

"Oliver, I'm thinking that I couldn't give a rat's ass about whatever it is, that you've come here to talk about."

"Yes, Claudia I realize that, but it's fortunate that I've found you two together, because you two are going to be the biggest liabilities to the president during the grand jury investigation."

"Are you always such a son of a bitch Oliver?" Abbey asked.

"Yes." Both he and CJ answered at the same time.

"Is that all?" Asked CJ.

"Yes, for now. You'll both have to get lawyers though."

"No shit Oliver." Abbey exclaimed.

He just smirked and left CJ's office.

"We're gonna have to be the unified front that stops him CJ. Co-horts in crime-literally."

"I have no problem with that whatsoever Abbey. I hate his guts."

"Do you think we're allowed to have the same lawyer?"

"I don't think so. I've just lied to America. You lied to us, America and violated medical rules."

"Hmmm" Abbey responded. "Good point."


End file.
